Testing the Waters
by somethingrandom1234
Summary: You've been introduced to the Generation of Miracles and their phantom sixth man. Who you don't know is Shiroma Jun, a prodigy with a special condition who was never recognized by the public, but was accepted as a friend and teammate by the Teiko regulars. This is his story. (a KnB fic)
1. Prologue

You've been introduced to the Generation of Miracles and their phantom sixth man: Akashi Seijurou, Midorima Shintaro, Aomine Daiki, Murasakibara Atsushi, Kise Ryota, Momoi Satsuki, and Kuroko Testuya.

But there was one more person who was classified as a prodigy and born in the same generation as those listed above.

He was part of the Teiko Middle School basketball club, placed in the first string out of pure talent. This person never participated in games, let alone practice matches. Akashi kept his gift a secret from the public; Teiko won amazingly and got enough attention without the guy.

The presence of this person haunted many of the Teiko team members. His talent, his condition – it scared them. Only the Teiko regulars got to know him and accept him throughout the years as one of them.

This is the story of Shiroma Jun, the ultimate underdog of the Generation of Miracles.

Oh yeah, and about Shiroma Jun.

He's blind.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket. All rights go to proper owners.

*set when the Generation of Miracles are in their second year of middle school*

* * *

It was club recruitment day for Teiko Middle School. Hollers were heard from students in the crowd, advertising their club and handing out flyers. Amongst the wave of people, a boy weaved through the packed clusters of students, occasionally bumping into a few bodies.

The boy carried a metal stick with him, and he held it out in front of him cautiously, momentarily poking at empty air before accidentally whacking a couple of limbs. He shoved down the panic that was beginning to grow inside of him and concentrated on trying to find the bumps on the pathway that lead him around the school grounds.

He didn't like this. Not at all. There were too many people gathered in one place, which overwhelmed his senses and made him stumble off of his only guideline.

Straining his ears, he listened for calls of basketball. In the distance, he heard, "Basketball club! Sign up here!"

That was his target. He shifted his body weight and began to move in the vague direction of the voice. The crowd pressed against him, but he pushed back, determination filling his brain.

When he finally got to the clearance, the words rang clear in his head. "Basketball club! Sign up here!" The yells and shouts of people were now distant murmurs in the background.

His grasp on the metal stick was slimy with sweat from being surrounded by such ferocious body heat of others. He opened up his senses and made his way to what he assumed was the table for basketball club, stick clicking against the sidewalk. The pole was abruptly jammed into something hard, presumably the table leg.

The boy took a deep breath before speaking. "Excuse me, is this the basketball club sign up place?"

He heard the slight twitching of eyes come from the person at the table. Wait no, there were two people at the table, he felt two pairs of eyes boring into his skin. He didn't blame them; there was nothing normal about a boy who carried around a metal stick and wore two eye-patches that covered both of his eyes.

A calm, serene voice responded. "Yes it is. Who are you, if I may ask?" It sounded like a male voice.

The boy tilted his head in the direction of the voice. "My name is Shiroma Jun. I'm a second-year. I would like to join the basketball club," the boy, Shiroma Jun, said steadily.

A female voice butted in. "Oh! Cool! It's always good to have more new recruits! Here's the sign-up sheet!"

Jun caught the quiet friction of a piece of paper being slid across the table. Hesitantly, he groped at thin air before finding purchase on the edge of the table. While stretching his hand until his fingertips bumped the clean, sharp corner of the paper, Jun asked, "May I have a pen?"

"Sure! There's one right in front of you!" the female yipped. Jun paused for a moment, his thoughts whirling around the obliviousness of the girl. _It might be right in front of me, but I'm blind, you know,_ he thought.

The other boy seemed to be less dense than the girl, and Jun could hear the soft rustling of clothing as the boy nudged her gently before questioning him. "I assume you cannot see?"

Jun may be blind, but his retorts were as biting as ever. "No, it's the latest fashion trend to wear eye-patches so that you can walk around blindly while bumping into things and random people. Yes, I cannot see."

Although it was silent, Jun swore that the boy cocked an eyebrow. He just had this sensation.

"Well, I think it would be quite inconvenient for you to not be able to see when playing basketball," the boy told him.

If Jun had any control over his eyes, he would have glared. "I'm sorry for my rudeness, but let me sign up. You don't know what level I am, and turning me down just because I was born with something I couldn't help is horribly pathetic and cruel."

There was a pregnant pause as Jun felt the other boy's eyes wash over him, inspecting every part of him.

"Alright," the boy said, finally agreeing. "You can sign up and try out. But if you do, then I have every right to kick you out if I feel like you are just dragging the team down. Agreed?"

The latter wasn't really a question, just an order that Jun would have to obey if he wanted to join. Jun nodded.

"Momoi, please right down his answers to the questions for him," the boy instructed the girl, Momoi. "I have to go talk to the coach."

"Okay!" Momoi said happily. She started asking him questions as the boy walked away.

As Jun answered, he started to lean forward a little bit to capture the girl's scent. The light, subtly sweet scent of peaches wafted around her skin, not too strong but not weak enough to go undetected. Jun categorized the scent mentally.

After the Q and A session was over, Jun inquired, "What was the boy's name that was sitting at this table? I'm sorry if I'm being nosy, I just want to know."

Momoi laughed, her voice clear and bright. "It's not being nosy! I mean, you would have found out either way. His name's Akashi Seijurou, the captain of the Teiko basketball team. He's a second year."

Jun made a surprised grunting noise. "Only a second-year? I thought you had to be a third-year to be captain."

The girl giggled. "Well, Akashi is a very special exception. Anyway, practice is after school today at the main gymnasium. See you there!"

His lips curled into a small smile. "Yup. Thanks."

The crowed had thinned out by the time their talk was over.

As Jun cast about the school grounds with his metal stick and the reassuring bumps under his feet that ensured he was going the right way, he thought, _Well, Momoi's just about as forgetful as ever. I won't see her there. More like smell or hear her there._

Even though Jun was enrolled as a Teiko student, he didn't take classes with everyone else. Instead, he had his own tutor at school that specialized in educating blind kids. According to his tutor, Jun was incredibly intelligent for his age and was given harder material than the rest of the students in his grade. Not that Jun minded; he loved a nice challenge.

He was allowed to participate in club activities despite being separately taught, which was a privilege that Jun was glad he had.

At the end of the school day, Jun's tutor dismissed him. He changed into his gym clothes in the bathroom, which was a real pain in the butt.

As Jun kept one hand on the wall and the other on his walking stick, he made his way out of the school building and outside to where the gyms were located, which was not as easy as it sounds. It took a rather long time for him to turn the right hallways and go down the correct staircase.

As he followed the bumpy path that was meant to guide blind people, his stick crashed into another person. The person didn't even lose his footing from the impact.

"I'm sorry," Jun apologized. No, he was not going to say, " _I wasn't looking where I was going,"_ because that would just be wrong.

The threatening, low voice of a male replied. "If you hit me again…I'll crush you."

"I didn't mean to hit you," Jun snapped. Did the guy think he was a delinquent or something?

There was a stomp as the guy turned around to face Jun. A strong scent of sweet candy and snacks flooded his nostrils.

"Eh~?" the guy asked to no one in particular. "Why are you covering your eyes?"

Jun could practically feel the confusion radiating off of him. Annoyance sparked inside of the blind boy.

"Because I don't feel like being stared at by people who see my actual eyes. It's not the best feeling in the world, you know," Jun spoke in a low voice.

"Eh~ I think it's more weird to see a person walking with his eyes covered than seeing his actual eyes," the guy responded in a bored tone.

Jun smoothed out the wrinkles in his temper. This man just didn't know anything about him. He couldn't blame him.

"I'm blind. Okay? Now enough of that. Can you show me where the main gymnasium is?" Jun said as calmly as he could.

"Sure~" the guy replied happily. "I'm going there now anyway. Just let me finish my snack."

There's no way Jun would have agreed to wait until the man finished eating if he had been able to see just how much junk food the giant was carrying. But he couldn't see, and therefore said yes.

So Jun stood there for about 10 minutes, listening to the disgusting munching sounds the guy was making. At last, when his patience wore out, Jun told him, "Okay, can we please go now? I'm already late."

The other man seemed to have no sense of time, which was ironic because he could actually see a clock unlike Jun.

"Oh~ Okay," he drawled out contentedly. He started walking in the assumed direction of the gym, Jun following his footsteps by listening to where he placed his huge feet.

As they walked, the guy asked him a question. "Are you in basketball club?"

Jun nodded curtly, his mind making up several biting responses for what the guy would say with the knowledge that a blind boy was about to join the basketball club. Instead, the guy said, "Cool. You'll have to get me snacks though."

The blind boy snorted. "I don't exactly like that idea, but I don't mind. Hey, I forgot to ask you this, but what's your name? I'm Shiroma Jun, by the way."

"Murasakibara Atsushi. Call me whatever you want though," Murasakibara answered lazily.

Jun raised his eyebrows. "Oh really. Then it's fine with you if I call you Unko or something like that?" (unko means poop)

"Eh~ I don't like Unko," was all Murasakibara said. Jun had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing.

The sound of shouting and shoes squeaking against the wooden floor echoed from a building.

"Oh. We're here," Murasakibara told Jun.

"Obviously. I might be blind, but I'm not deaf," Jun muttered.

Jun heard Murasakibara move in front of him to get to the door first, but the smaller boy reached out a hand and stopped him.

"Sorry, but could I enter first? I need my grand late entrances," Jun nagged him.

He was almost positive that the team should be having an orientation for the newbies, but since it sounded like people were practicing, he guessed that Akashi held it off. Maybe that guy was aware that Jun hadn't appeared yet and wanted to wait for him.

"Sure," Murasakibara agreed easily.

"Thanks," Jun said quickly. He grappled for the door handle and managed to open the door without too much hardship.

The sound of balls bouncing ceased to a stop as the door slid open. Jun felt every pair of eyes concentrated on him. Then a voice cut through the silence.

"Well, well. It looks like our last newbie has finally arrived. Let's get the orientation started, shall we?" It was the distinct voice of Akashi Seijurou, the Teiko basketball team captain.

Akashi's clear, monotone voice frightened Jun and made him lose his sensible train of thought. So he said, "I see you've been waiting for me," which was the dumbest thing that a blind person could ever say.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **A/N:** Here's the second chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **Kuroko's POV**

Kuroko had known something was up the moment Akashi walked through the gym doors, his eyes concentrating hard on an object that didn't exist and his mind occupied with thoughts that nobody else could peek in on.

The huge pool of newbies had been gathered up into a neat array of lines by Akashi's orders. Everyone had expected Akashi to start the orientation after the last toe was in line, but when the redhead opened his mouth, different words came out.

"Hello. My name is Akashi Seijurou, captain of the Teiko Middle School boy's basketball team. I would love to start the orientation right now, but I'm afraid we are missing a person. We shall wait until this certain person arrives; it shouldn't be long now. However, while we are waiting, the team's members who are not new may begin warming up on the other half of the court. The new members may wait for a few minutes," Akashi said in a collected, polite voice that demanded obedience.

The team's regulars bid Akashi's order, murmuring in confusion. The newbies watched from the sidelines, looking anxious and slightly bewildered.

Kuroko jogged over to his respective side of the court, and joined Aomine, keeping steady pace with the tanned boy despite having shorter legs.

As the two of them approached the bin that was heaping with basketballs, Kuroko wondered out loud. "I wonder what kind of person would keep Akashi-kun waiting to start the orientation, much less earn his attention."

"Beats me," Aomine replied. "Whoever it is, the guy must be strong."

Kuroko nodded agreeably before glancing around the gymnasium.

"Haizaki-kun and Murasakibara-kun are not here yet," he observed.

Aomine shrugged like he could care less. "Nothing unusual. Haizaki's probably ditching. Murasakibara's probably late because he's eating his precious mountain of junk food."

The pale boy smiled faintly at the last sentence. "Yes, that's most likely the case."

Aomine chuckled as he grabbed a basketball from the cart and started to expertly dribble it between his legs with amazing speed. Then he passed the ball lightly to Kuroko who caught it with both hands seconds before it reached his chest.

"Come on!" Aomine beckoned to Kuroko. "It's lay-up time. We have to obey King Akashi's orders, or else…" Aomine dragged his finger across his neck making a hissing noise, and then stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes, pretending to be dead.

Kuroko laughed softly, dribbling the ball towards the hoop and getting in line to wait his turn for lay-ups. Aomine followed in suit.

After about 10 minutes of warming up, the gym doors opened with a creak, freezing everyone in place. Kuroko glanced up and saw a very intimidating sight.

A boy was standing there, shadowed by a ginormous expanse of darkness, also known as Murasakibara Atsushi. The sun's rays hit the back of Murasakibara perfectly, but a few stray rays filtered through the gaps between the purple-haired giant's arms and torso, and shone outwards on the boy in front of Murasakibara.

But if the large shadow draping over the guy wasn't scary enough, the boy looked incredibly ominous was well. He had clean, white hair that glinted silver, and two black eye-patches were strapped over both of his eyes. He was average in height, only slightly taller than Kuroko himself, and carried a metal stick with a tip made of black rubber. The ridges of his muscles were stark and striking, shoulders slightly broader than normal.

Akashi spoke as a sense of stillness settled over the gymnasium.

"Well, well. It looks like our last newbie has finally arrived. Let's get the orientation started, shall we?"

Kuroko could see the new boy's jaw tighten when he heard Akashi's voice.

The boy responded by saying, "I see you've been waiting for me," which made Kuroko slightly puzzled because it seemed to him that the boy was not able to see, at least, not with those eye-patches on.

Akashi's facial expression twitched for a fraction of a second with sheer annoyance before returning to the usual.

"Get in line, Shiroma Jun," the redhead ordered in a deadly voice. Then Akashi's eyes flicked towards Murasakibara, who was munching on a Maiubo. "And go get changed, Murasakibara," he added. The purple giant yawned and nodded, walking to the locker rooms.

The boy, presumably Jun, tossed his metal stick to the side, taking care to not hit anybody.

Jun slowly walked past the gaping regulars and strode along the rows of newbies. Stumbling on the first few steps, he came dangerously close to bumping into a person, but he abruptly stopped and recalculated where he was going. At last, Jun got into line behind the last new member.

Kuroko thought it was impressive that the boy who could not see was able to maneuver his way around the gym without anything to guide him.

The boy tilted his head up. "Go ahead, Akashi-san," Jun said, in a voice that fought to be steady. Kuroko sympathized the boy. It must be so hard to have all this attention on you, especially under Akashi's unnerving gaze.

The so-said captain of the basketball team nodded and began the official orientation.

"As I said before, I am Akashi Seijurou, captain of the Teiko basketball team. I wish you all a wonderful year in this club. In this basketball club, there are three strings: the first, second, and third string. You will perform an audition in front of the coach and I so that we can correctly analyze your skill level. Based on your audition, you will be placed accordingly in one of the three strings."

"The three strings revolve around your dexterity in basketball: the first string is for the top scoring recruits, the second string is for the mediocre scoring recruits, and the third string is for the lowest scoring recruits. Do not feel pressured to make the first string; only a special handful of first years have ever gotten into the first string."

"Your auditions are tomorrow after school. Please report to Gymnasium #5 for clubs. The auditions will be held separately in Gymnasium #6 so that the coach and I can assess your individual skills."

"Today you will be transferring to Gymnasium #4 so that the different strings can practice regularly. Sensei will take you there and instruct you for your first day. I will visit after a while to observe how all of you are doing."

"Thank you. Welcome to the Teiko Middle School boy's basketball team."

Akashi bowed formally as an applause roared from the newbies.

Murasakibara had slipped into the gymnasium while Akashi was presenting his speech, somehow going unnoticed until now. Well, that was how captivating Akashi's words were.

Sensei dismissed the new members row by row to report to Gymnasium #4, but when the last row started to stream out the doors, Akashi interrupted.

"Shiroma Jun, please stay in the first string's gym."

* * *

 **Jun's POV**

Jun froze as soon as he heard Akashi's words. He had been about to leave with the rest of the newbies like a normal person, but of course Akashi had to stop him.

The blind boy stood his ground, and turned towards the direction of Akashi's voice. "Why should I?" Jun challenged him.

Akashi was unruffled from the obvious act of rebellion.

"I understand that you are blind. I also have noticed that you have a good sense of direction with still objects, which means you know where the basket hoops are located. If we test on how well you do individually, there will not be an accurate result. Since the goals are stationary, it will be unfair once you know the location of the hoop. I'm sure you can dribble a basketball even thought you cannot see, and I bet that you will be able to make shots over time once you get the general sense of where everything is. I have observed you for a little bit, and that is what I assume will happen."

"However, if we put you in a game like that, you will just bring us down. In a real game, there will be opponents on the same court as us, and they will be moving around. You will be no use as long as you can't stand up against different players that can actually see unlike you. This is why I would like for you to have a one-on-one match with one of the first string members so I can see how good you are against an opponent. Does that make sense? Are you willing to do it?"

Jun snorted to cover up his uneasiness. "I don't get the point of this. I doubt you're going to put a blind kid in a game anyway."

The captain coldly responded. "You are not aware of my thoughts. You never know what I might do. Didn't you sign up for this club because you wanted to get in games? And you have not answered my question. Does that make sense? Will you do it?"

Jun sighed. "That's not really a question, is it? It's an order. So I can't disobey. Which means, yes, I will do it."

The blind boy suddenly had an odd sensation that Akashi was smiling at him. But it wasn't a pleasant smile; he could feel it in his bones. It was a snake-like, all-knowing smile that made Jun's skin prickle.

"Wonderful, Shiroma. Now, who to go against you…" Akashi trailed off, presumably looking around for a player to oppose Jun on the court.

Jun had to admit, he was slightly nervous for the one-on-one game. Everyone would be watching, not expecting him to be able to do anything other than flounder about.

"Aomine," Akashi sharply said, interrupting Jun's anxious thoughts. "Please be Jun's one-on-one opponent."

A male voice replied enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! I get to play a game! Just so you know, I won't go easy on him just because he's blind."

Jun cut in before Akashi could. "I'm glad, Aomine-san. I would hate it if you went easy on me."

The sound of Aomine grinning lapped at his ears. "Well, fortunately for you, I never slack off."

The club members started to bustle about, getting the half court game ready. As they moved around, Jun could hear fragments of conversations going on between them.

"Against Aomine? No way the kid will win."

"He's blind? How the heck is he even going to play basketball?"

"I wonder what star sign he is…"

"I'm hungry~"

Jun inhaled a big breath. The guy, Aomine, had a frighteningly strong aura around him that stank of extreme raw talent. Yet, he felt like Akashi put him up against such a prodigy for the sake of seeing of what Jun would do against Aomine, even though Akashi probably didn't expect him to be able to fight back. Well, whatever happens will happen.

After a few minutes, Jun felt a hand touch his shoulder. He jerked away from the person, gasping. His feet caught him, and Jun regained his balance. That had been incredibly shocking; how hadn't he sensed the person's presence? Was a person actually standing there? As this thought crossed Jun's mind, a voice spoke.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to tell you that the court is ready to have a game."

Ice filled Jun's veins. This was the first time somebody has ever been able to sneak up on him and scare him. Despite being blind, Jun had extreme awareness of his surrounding from his other senses. Even though people thought it would be easy to sneak up on a blind person, it was actually pretty hard to fright Jun, who had such incredibly sharp hearing that he could hear snow hitting the ground in the wintertime. It was almost inhuman.

But somehow this boy had been able to get past Jun's keen senses.

Jun had to stop himself from shuddering as he answered.

"It's fine. I just…yeah, please excuse my behavior. I'm sorry. Thank you for letting me know."

His heart was still pounding from shock when the boy answered. "You're welcome. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya, by the way. Good luck."

Jun's nerves had calmed down a little bit. "Thank you. I'm Shiroma Jun, if you didn't already hear."

The boy, Kuroko, replied quietly. "I did hear, but nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Jun said, slightly in a rush. Something had just occurred to him. Kuroko had no scent. Any person had a unique smell that was related to their aura, no matter how dull or faint the whiff is. It was how Jun was able to tell people apart from others. But this boy…he didn't even have an aura.

He wandered away from the boy with no presence.

Jun guessed that the half court used for playing one-on-one games was on the opposite side of the gym that he was on, so he walked in that general direction. He roughly opened up his senses to hear most of the people spreading out in places against the walls to watch the game.

To confirm that he was heading to the right place, Jun had to execute another small test so he didn't look like a completely idiot who didn't where he was going (he honestly was a little lost, but nobody needed to know that.)

He didn't always do this in public because it was just plain awkward, but Jun felt like it would somewhat be appreciated by some smart people in here.

Jun screamed for a few seconds and let it echo. In the few seconds that the faint echoes were heard, Jun pricked his ears to comprehend the positions of the walls as the sound waves bounced off the hard surfaces. Yes, his hearing was that inhumanly amazing. But Jun gave credit to bats for coming up with that idea in the first place. Echolocation was one of the greatest inventions ever.

The wall behind him had been the most faint of the echoes, which meant he was the farthest from it. Jun couldn't hear anybody bustling around in that area, so it was likely that he was going in the right direction.

It was a long distance sound that he had heard from behind him, which meant Jun was trekking the length of the gymnasium, not the width. That was a good thing, because if he were going alongside the width of the gymnasium, he would be walking to the side of the gym instead of the half-court area.

Confident in his sense of direction, Jun jogged over to the half-court. The net that separated the two courts was rolled down with a hushed rumble.

Footsteps approached Jun.

"Please start stretching now. The game starts very soon. You will only play one quarter with Aomine. Whoever wins the most points in those ten minutes is the winner. While you play, I will be watching for your ability against an opponent. Does that sound good?"

It was Akashi.

Jun shivered, but managed to give a somewhat decent reply.

"Sounds great. Speaking of sounds, did you hear my scream back there? Lovely, wasn't it?"

"It was certainly interesting," Akashi replied. "But that was quite an awfully hasty transition of subjects there."

The blind boy started to stretch out his muscles.

"What are you talking about? It was amazing."

Akashi remained monotone. "It was very roughly hewn. You should try for a more smoother and subtle change of subject."

"I was being sarcastic," Jun snapped while touching his toes. "Can't you see that?"

"I indeed can see. You, on the other hand, cannot, so I don't think you should be the one talking," Akashi said, slightly berated.

There was a pause. "You can shut up," Jun vented.

Akashi almost got his scissors out.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **Jun's POV**

The referee blew the whistle, making a tinny screeching sound cut through the gym.

"Please get to your places on the court now," Akashi ordered Jun and Aomine.

Jun followed the sounds of Aomine's footsteps to the middle of the court. Then he swiveled around and stood across from his opponent. Aomine had a distinctly powerful scent that hit Jun directly in the face, which made him assume he was facing the right way.

A queasy feeling of fear settled in Jun's stomach. There was no way this was going to be easy. But he only had to play like he always did…

Akashi called out to the two players on the court.

"Aomine, you're the black team player. Shiroma, you're the white team player. Although you don't have teams, we still need assign colors to you for the referee. Is that clear?"

Aomine shouted out a yes.

"What does white look like?" Jun asked mournfully.

Everybody ignored him.

As the referee held the ball in the middle of the two players for the tip-off, Jun interrupted.

"Wait, I need to do something…" he trailed off. Then he gently tugged off each of his eye-patches to reveal his actual eyes.

There was a collective gasp from the members watching the game. Jun even felt Aomine tense up. Jun didn't know what his real eyes looked like, but he guessed that the sight wasn't very pleasant from various reactions in the past. He always took off his eye-patches when playing a game of basketball. It somehow made his senses feel a bit more sharp and open; having air brush the open skin around his eyes was refreshing.

Jun gently tossed the eye-patches to what was most likely the side of the gym. He lowered his torso and bent his knees in ready stance. There was a quiet rustle as Aomine did the same.

The atmosphere was tense; everybody was watching intently.

"This is the tip-off!" the referee announced.

There was a whish as the ball was tossed high into the air.

Jun sprang up, arms reaching out to where the ball should be. But there was a clap as Aomine's hands grabbed hold of the ball first. Not surprising. Jun landed gracefully, feet balanced and legs bending to cushion the weight.

Pivoting his foot to face Aomine, Jun dropped into a defensive stance. The sound of the ball hitting the floor resounded through the gym, matching the hammering beats of Jun's heart. Forcing himself to calm down, Jun put on what was hopefully a neutral expression. He could handle this.

Just as that thought crossed Jun's mind, there was a clamoring of feet speeding past his defense, the noise of the dribbled basketball adorning the sudden whirlwind of rhythms.

Jun quickly trailed Aomine, but the net swished in success as the basketball landed perfectly inside the goal. Cheers from the audience were faintly heard.

Gritting his teeth, Jun mentally smacked himself in the forehead. So much for being able to handle this.

Needless to say, Jun started getting pounded by Aomine throughout the game. He could hear murmurs from the audience; scornfully saying how they knew a blind kid couldn't play. Normally, this would have bothered Jun, but not today.

Although he was incredibly frustrated at losing by so much, Jun knew he could manage the… _thing_ …soon. Just a little bit more…right when the clock hits the two minutes mark, he could do it.

Jun had understood from the very beginning that the difference between Aomine's level and his own was impossibly huge. Despite being able to make shots and dribble in basketball, that typically wasn't enough to beat a strong opponent (at least, an opponent who had the ability to see.) Sure, it was impressive for a blind person to be able to do that, but Jun was only capable of playing basic basketball stuff because he had been playing since he was 5 years old.

But he did have a special trick or ability, whatever you want to call it. The _thing_ just took a lot of concentration and Jun had to get used to his opponent's movements before using it.

The scoreboard was now 36 to 0 (Jun had been keeping track of the points in his head. It isn't that hard when your opponent is the only one scoring.) Turning the tables was out of the question; it was futile. Let's be realistic here; there was no way Jun could win against Aomine in the last 2 minutes.

However, two minutes was enough time for Jun to show Akashi that he wasn't entirely helpless and was worth having on the team.

The referee tossed the ball to Aomine, announcing that there was exactly two minutes before the game came to an end. A jaunty, confident air shrouded Aomine, making Jun wrinkle his nose in disgust.

There was a sharp tick as the clock started again. Aomine started dribbling at an incredibly rapid rate. Jun adjusted himself in front of where he could smell the overpowering odor of Aomine Daiki.

Jun took a deep breath and matched his intakes and outtakes of breaths with Aomine's breathing. Channeling all of his focus to the person in front of him, Jun intensely concentrated on Aomine. Even though he couldn't see him, he could feel his presence.

His brain locked itself in a deep trance where it was solely aware of the presence of the person in front of it. The power within Jun was unleashed in those few moments, washing over his body.

Jun felt it.

* * *

 **Akashi's POV**

Akashi had to say, he was quite disappointed. He had been expected more of the blind boy who had protested so harshly against him thinking that the disabled can't play basketball. Turns out Shiroma was all talk. Akashi tended to dislike those kinds of people.

Watching the fight between Shiroma and Aomine with calm, calculating eyes, Akashi almost pitied Shiroma.

Shiroma looked exhausted and fatigued, on the brink of collapsing. Beads of sweat rested on his limbs and rolled down his face.

The redhead's eyes flickered towards the scoreboard. How pathetic. 36 to 0. Aomine had all of the points. And Shiroma looked too worn out for just playing a _quarter_ of a game.

Although something caught Akashi's attention: Shiroma's breathing was not ragged and uneven at all. In fact, his breaths seemed to match the nonchalant breathing of Aomine…

Something in Shiroma's body movement, something in those appalling eyes that shouldn't hold any emotion told Akashi that the blind boy was not quite done yet.

Uneasiness stirred inside of Akashi. Those eyes…Shiroma's eyes had been horrific, even for Akashi. The irises were a beautiful shade of sky blue…but there were no pupils. A murky cloud of brown had covered the pupils and spread out to the irises like a spilled drink. It was frightening.

Akashi glanced at the clock counting down. Just as the referee tossed the ball to Aomine, the numbers hit 2:00. Aomine dribbled the ball with agile skill, looking joyful when Jun came to face him.

Then, in those few seconds that Aomine was dribbling, the air around Shiroma abruptly changed. It wasn't as if Shiroma's appearance had been altered; it was just the vibes that were now radiating off of Shiroma. The vibes were very…intimidating.

Sucking in a breath, Akashi stared in fascination. What had just happened? Was Shiroma finally playing for real in the last two minutes?

Aomine seemed to sense this as well, and his expression took on a wary sense.

Suddenly, Shiroma's hand shot out and jabbed the ball from Aomine's grip.

Akashi could barely hear Shiroma's words.

"You waited too long," the blind boy whispered before darting away from Aomine and taking possession of the ball. Aomine was gaping at the Shiroma with utter shock.

Chills raced down Akashi's spine. Erase any trace of doubt he had had in his mind before.

Shiroma was incredible in his own way.

* * *

 **Jun's POV**

Jun was focusing intently on Aomine. He could feel the ball bounce against his hand in slow motion. And he didn't even have possession of the ball. Everything was blocked out of his senses; the only things existing in his mind was Aomine, the ball, and the hoops.

He felt the rough surface of the ball connect with the palm of his hand again. It made his wrist flex up slightly before being sent to the ground, taking painfully long to reach the ground and make that familiar smacking noise.

What would he do if he were in this position? The ball would have to be bumped up again for Aomine to make any moves…and he's been dribbling for so long anyway that if the ball does make it back to his palm, he would definitely go for a drive.

The basketball hit the ground. A fraction of a second after, Jun's hand shot out and stole the ball from Aomine.

"You waited too long," he whispered to his opponent.

The gasp of shock that escaped Aomine's mouth barely reached Jun's ears.

Jun dribbled past Aomine's still figure, completely aware of the position of the ball in his hands. Even though he was blind, he had played basketball his whole life; dribbling was as natural as breathing.

He couldn't see where the basket was. But Jun could somehow sense where it was placed. His body moved on its own and smoothly executed a jump shot from the position he had already been in. The ball left his fingertips and entered the hoop perfectly without hitting the rim, making a clean swishing noise that cut through the awed silence of the gym.

The ball thumped to the ground. Jun felt victory flooding his veins. Everyone was silent, even the referee forgot to blow his whistle. Aomine reeled in a shuddering breath of amazement, feet rooted to the ground.

Then, as one, all of the Teiko basketball members who had been watching on the sidelines burst into applause and cheers. Aomine ran over to Jun, whacking the blind boy on the back in a friendly manner. Jun wanted to shrink away from his energized opponent, but he stopped as he heard Aomine's words.

"Man, you are AMAZING!" Aomine whooped right in Jun's ear.

All Jun could say as a reply was, "The game's not over yet. I only got one shot in. I'm still losing pathetically to you."

Aomine chuckled. "You are. But that steal and shot was amazing…how did you even do that?"

A wisp of a smile touched Jun's lips. "It was only amazing because I'm blind, but thanks. And I've got some…weird medical conditions."

"Weird is good," Aomine said. "I am so not going to lose to you! I'm going to play even more all out than I already was!"

Jun groaned. "Your definition of 'all out' depresses me. Who knew you could get any better? And I thought you weren't going easy on me."

He could practically hear Aomine grin. "I wasn't. And everybody can improve in some way."

The game continued on. Now that Aomine was going "even more all out than he was before," Jun ended up not being able to score at all in the last minute. But he got dangerously close at times.

Nevertheless, Jun was using all of concentration to track Aomine's movements, which was mentally and physically exhausting. A headache was forming at the back of his head.

When the buzzer finally rang, Jun collapsed. His skin was prickling and jumping at the wrong times, and a burden of jumbled feelings and touches were piling on top of him, making him nauseous and dizzy.

As Jun's conscious faded into a black abyss, he formed one last thought.

 _Synesthesia is the WORST._

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Tell me what you guys think! Sorry if some of it is confusing right now! It'll make sense later.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jun woke up to his normal dark world, silence ringing through the air. A headache was pulsing at the back of his head and his arms felt unusually shaky.

A sob was building up at the back of his throat. Why was he nauseous? Why did he feel like crying? Then it hit him.

Right. The game. Jun suppressed a groan. He had put… _it_ …into action. And by _'it'_ he meant the synesthesia.

Normally, synesthesia would come naturally to a person's senses; it wasn't something that you could typically control. However, in Jun's case…he had to activate it for its usage. Because he had a synesthesia that combined the senses of sight and touch, and he couldn't see, it wasn't always an open sense to him. Jun somehow had that synesthesia, as impossible as it seemed. Doctors couldn't explain it…Jun truly was abnormal.

Jun had mirror-touch synesthesia. This particular synesthesia was where the person could feel what other people were feeling. For example, if a person is tapped on their shoulder, the synesthetic person will involuntarily feel the tap as well.

It's standard for a person with mirror-touch synesthesia to have to observe somebody being touched to feel the same sensation, but Jun was an exception. He couldn't observe with his eyes, but if he concentrates all of his focus and attention on a single person, he can feel what they are feeling.

Like in the game, where Jun scored his first and final point. He could _feel_ the basketball graze against the palm of his hand because all of his concentration was on Aomine. He was in some sort of stimulation where it allowed him to feel what his opponents were feeling, which made him able to predict their moves easier.

Jun couldn't just randomly whip the mirror-touch synesthesia out at any time though. In basketball, he had to get used to his opponent's moves enough to activate the sense. Intense single-mindedness was needed too; he couldn't feel what another person was feeling randomly without trying.

So yes, _weird medical condition_ sums it up about right.

The pain in his head increased and hit Jun with a full blast.

Also another thing: Jun tried not to use mirror-touch synesthesia that much unless it was necessary. Why, you ask? It gave him a migraine to concentrate that hard on a single object of person. And it frightened him, feeling what others were going through. He couldn't even imagine what it was like for an ordinary person with mirror-touch synesthesia, to have that sense open and active all the time.

Jun drank in the air. The atmosphere of the room was a perfect mix between cool and warm, quietness riding peacefully on the waves of fresh air. Then it occurred to him that this was his own room, in his own house. He wondered what time it was. And how the heck did he end up in his room when he went unconscious in the school gym?

The door creaked open, revealing the soothing scents of his mother, with her light brush of orange blossom scented perfume. His mother's name was Shiroma Miyo, and was widowed when Jun was 10 years old. Jun was currently 13.

"Are you okay?" his mother's voice was gentle but concerned.

"I'm fine," Jun said, taking care to maintain a mild and airy tone of voice. "Do you mind telling me what happened though?"

His mother's footsteps neared him. There was a slight rustle as she sat down in the chair seated by Jun's bedside and took his cold hands in her warm ones, rubbing and massaging the palms of them.

She always seemed to do this gesture nowadays, as if to remind Jun that she was there. Jun didn't feel like telling her that he could smell her distinct odor and immediately recognize it to be her.

"A boy called the house phone," she started. "He told me that you had went unconscious during basketball practice, saying that he'd bring you home soon. The school apparently gave him the permission to have his…I think he called them _servants_ , to bring you back safely. The boy said that he was the captain of the basketball team, and he apologized for not being able to stop you from collapsing.

"I was so worried, but I told him it was all right. There was a knock at the door a few minutes later, and these nicely dressed gentlemen carried the unconscious you into the house."

" A red-haired boy…I mean, the boy who I think had phoned me came up to me and explained how exhaustion had caught up to you and you fainted from fatigue during practice. Then he excused himself and all the people left. I thanked him and carried you to your room after that. And here we are."

Jun shuddered. How had that creep known where he lived?

"But tell me this," his mother said, releasing his hands. "Was the first day of practice that harsh?"

Pausing for a moment, Jun felt a dry smile curl on his lips. "It was harsh indeed. But this is Teiko, Mom. It's got to be hard."

A dainty laugh came from Miyo. "I suppose so."

"What time is it?" Jun asked.

"7:28 PM," his mother replied. "I'm afraid you were asleep for quite a while. You can come downstairs and eat dinner, if you'd like."

"I'd like that," Jun said, sitting up in bed. "But first, do you have any aspirin or Tylenol? My head hurts like a motherf-"

"Shiroma Jun, don't you dare finish that sentence. You're only in middle school, that's no time to be swearing," Miyo interrupted sharply.

Jun sighed. "Yes, Mom."

Geez, his mother was such a bipolar person. But then again, Jun himself changed moods often as well. It's all because of genetics though. Go figure.

After eating dinner (easier said than done when you're blind), Jun fell asleep once again.

* * *

The next morning, when Jun arrived at the deserted classroom that him and his tutor had always studied in, he found out that it wasn't quite as empty as it sounded when he had first approached the doors.

The calm, undisturbed voice of Akashi greeted Jun as he walked in tentatively with his stick, making Jun almost collapse in shock.

"Hello, Shiroma."

Struggling to not release a string of curse words, Jun replied through gritted teeth.

"What in the world are you doing here?"

The stern voice of his tutor, Okimoto-sensei, echoed through the classroom. "Jun, do not be rude. I'm assuming you've already met the boy from your reaction, but this is Akashi Seijurou. He will be trying my tutor lessons for a little bit to see if he will be able to follow along with the more advanced concepts. If Akashi-kun is able to understand the topics, then the school will assign him a different tutor who does not specialize in teaching the blind. This is only a temporary arrangement."

Jun sputtered. "First of all, I'm blind. Do you think this guy has time to be lagging about on lessons that are developed for those who can't see? He should try online classes to see if he's ready or something like that. And second of all…I have no second of all, but seriously! Akashi is just…I don't know, but I'm not comfortable being in the same room as him, much less sitting next to him."

"Don't drop your honorifics so easily, please," Akashi interrupted his ranting in a voice that made Jun's shoulders stiffen.

But Jun tried to not get caught up with the scariness of the basketball captain. "Sorry, Akashi- _san_ ," he said, over exaggerating the emphasis on the honorific. "Or shall we go with Akashi- _sama._ "

Akashi's glare shot daggers into Jun's body. Smirking, Jun attempted to fashionably weave his way towards his tutor, but was too ticked off to logically try to sense where exactly he was going, and ended up crashing into a desk.

There was a pattering of rushed footsteps as somebody (presumably Okimoto-sensei from the scent) dashed towards Jun to see if he was okay. Though disdainful and ungrateful, Jun took his tutor's sturdy hand and let him guide him to a desk that was in proper distance from where Okimoto-sensei would be giving lessons.

But Jun swore that Akashi was amused; sure, he wasn't making any laughing noises, but he just had this feeling. What infuriated him more was what Akashi was saying as Jun sat down cautiously.

"Hmm…" Akashi said observantly. "Clumsy. Not the best trait as a basketball player, yes?" There was the hiss of pencil on paper, as if Akashi was taking note of Jun's flaws.

"Oh, get lost!" Jun snarled. Okimoto-sensei clapped his hands and demanded them to calm down. Both of the students obliged obediently, though the air between them still prickled with tension.

After their first lesson (Trigonometry) was over, Akashi commented, "I must say, you're much smarter than what I had estimated. This mathematical concept is quite hard."

Jun couldn't believe his ears. "I don't even know if you're complimenting me or offending me."

"Take it as a compliment," Akashi said curtly.

The rest of the day passed quite uneventfully; Jun ate lunch in the classroom as he usually did and Akashi disappeared somewhere else at noon.

As the final bell rang, Akashi reminded Jun of what was to come this afternoon.

"I'll be testing the first years today at basketball practice. There will be nothing in particular happening today that would concern you, so I will excuse you from going just for today. But please attend from here on out. The rankings will be announced tomorrow. You may want to be there."

Yawning, Jun reasoned with himself. "I guess I'll skip today. But don't look down on me as a ditcher; I'm not that much of a jerk."

"I know you are not," Akashi agreed. Then he paused and said, "Oh, I'm sorry."

Confused, Jun asked, "What?"

"My parents told me to never lie. I just disobeyed them," Akashi said sharply, clothes rustling as he snatched up his school bag and quickly exited the room.

"Why you little…" Jun trailed off angrily under his breath.

* * *

The next day came all too soon.

Lessons were boring and a tad bit complex, but excruciatingly frustrating, because stupid Akashi f**cking Seijuro kept on asking questions and no, Jun was not ranting about how asking questions was horrible and against the law, questions were good, you should ask them at appropriate times, but seriously, Akashi could see and write correctly and Jun was sitting there trying to quickly read a historical article written in Braille and follow along with Okimoto sensei's devised lesson plans for the two of them and Akashi was just being way too inquisitive and nobody has ever cared about or ever will care about how many centimeters long Miyamoto Musashi's stubble was.

Jun was having anger issues these days, if you couldn't already tell.

So when the final bell rang and Akashi _yet again_ reminded him that the rankings were going to be announced today, Jun almost snapped. But he managed to keep himself somewhat composed, and said in reply, "Okay." It was simple and short, and so not Shiroma Jun-like, but it stopped the swear words and profanities from rolling off his tongue, and that's what counted.

There was a pause in Akashi's footsteps. "I apologize if I have upset you in any way. It was not deliberate."

A sarcastic reply almost escaped Jun's mouth, but he stopped himself. Akashi was just trying to be considerate, and it wasn't cool to make a fool out of an honest person.

Sighing, Jun spoke slowly. "Look, it's fine. Don't sweat it."

"Would you like me to lead you to the gym locker rooms?" Akashi asked politely.

Jun snorted. "Nah, it's fine. I'll change privately, thank you. Switching clothes is kind of a tiresome activity for me, so I'd rather not have anyone else see me go through with it."

"It must be hard," Akashi said, as sympathetic as the boy could possibly get.

"I'll live," Jun said dismissively, hand tightening on the handle of his metal walking stick. He had the school hallways somewhat memorized; getting to the gym shouldn't be very hard.

"Then I assume all will be fine. I will be leaving now. I expect to see you in the gym," Akashi responded, the sliding of the doors signaling that he was gone.

Okay, so maybe Akashi wasn't a complete butt-face after all. Like, about 76.38% a butt-face, but hey, there was still that 23.62% that wasn't!

As Jun strolled slowly down the hallways, trying to remember the right path, a knot of anxiousness started to form in his stomach.

Right, rankings were going to be announced today. He was probably going to be placed in the third string; he had lost miserably against Aomine.

Jun was far, so far from being a star basketball player.

* * *

A/N: Sorry if this chapter was kind of boring! It was necessary. I'll try to make the next chapter more interesting!


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **Jun's POV**

The gym's atmosphere was filled with tension, worried murmurs from the newbies overwhelming Jun's ears. He couldn't decipher one voice from another, and the amount of people in the room made it feel like walls were closing in on him, barely giving him enough room to breath.

Jun's anxiety let off a little bit as Akashi started to speak, the captain's cold, calm voice sending a soothing shiver down his spine and loosening his taut muscles, as if someone was pouring cooling gel into his veins and letting it flow through his body.

Akashi started to read off names of people who got into the third string. Jun's heart pounded in unison with the names that were being called, firm footsteps following each name read aloud. When all of the third string members were called, the second string people were announced.

It wasn't until Akashi mentioned the first string members that Jun realized his name hadn't been called for the third string or the second string.

The shocked mutters and comments following the announcement were silenced. Jun suddenly realized that he was the only one left; no other bodies were around him, radiating body heat. The people watching on the sidelines were definitely staring; their gazes were digging right into his skin.

"Shiroma Jun."

The pause that followed the two words was so deadly silent that Jun could hear the air ring.

Akashi decided to break the awkward silence. "Shiroma," he prodded. "You are in the first string."

"No," Jun said. The amount of steadiness and power behind that one word surprised Jun himself, as well as everyone in the room.

"Do you have something to say?" Akashi asked mildly. And for some reason, Akashi Seijuro being mild was much more intimidating than Akashi Seijuro being threatening.

Gulping, Jun spoke as firmly as possible. "I think your judgment is clouded. Did you see how miserably I failed against Aomine? I know how _irresistible_ I am, but that's hardly fair to anyone else. I don't deserve it. Demote me."

Akashi's voice was still frighteningly serene. "Are you demanding me to go through with an action that I am unwilling to do?"

"Yeah," Jun replied in a matter-of-factly way, placing his hands on his hips. "Got a problem with that?"

Jun shouldn't have said what he said. He knew that, even before he spoke. But he didn't care.

Honestly, he was expecting to get kicked out of the club for defying his captain.

Well, the world just loves to put a twist in life. Because Akashi didn't break out with rage. He didn't kick Jun out. He didn't strictly refuse. He didn't do anything that Jun would have imagined.

Instead, Akashi laughed. _Laughed_. The exact Merriam Webster definition of the word "laughed" (if Jun remembered correctly) was: _to show that you are happy or that you think something is funny by smiling and making a sound from your throat._

And Jun did not know Akashi well (heck, he's known the guy for about 3 days. That's 72 hours. That's 4,320 minutes. That's 259,200 seconds. That is not long!), but he knew for a fact that Akashi Seijuro was not one who laughed often. Or at all.

It was _weird_. The sound of laughter just didn't settle right in Akashi's throat. Probably because the guy had no practice or experience whatsoever with laughing, but it just sounded wrong.

To make him stop, Jun said, "You know, laughing is an airborne contagious disease that's hazardous to your heart and lungs and respiratory system. You should stop before you pass it on and kill everyone in the gym, including yourself."

That shut Akashi up immediately (even though he probably knew that what Jun said wasn't true.)

As the captain reclaimed his precious dignity, he said, "I am shocked at how outrageously rash you are, Shiroma. The fact that you would willingly demote yourself…very unbelievable in my opinion. Although I do know others who have willingly offered to fall in ranking," his voice softened slightly.

"Let me just say something. I think you should be in the first string. You have some talent, just a weakness that cannot be fixed, but can be used to the best of your advantage. In the first string, you will be able to discover your huge potential and meet up to that. Even though you lost in your test game, I do believe you will be able to become better if you train hard and develop tactics that you are bale to use to your advantage. So I hereby order you to join the first string."

Jun opened his mouth, about to refuse, when a voice called out from the sidelines.

"I suggest you obey his order. It is a demand, after all. Also, I have never heard Akashi compliment another person in such a way. It would be a waste to refuse." The voice was hard and austere. Jun didn't have any idea who had spoken, but he decided to take the advice.

"Sure. I'll join."

"I am surprised you have no more complaints," Akashi responded, not sounding surprised at all.

"Well, I can't use my blindness as an excuse can I? I'll use it to the best of my advantage, then," Jun said. And if he were capable of doing so, he would have thrown a wink in Akashi's direction.

* * *

 **Kuroko's POV**

Kuroko was almost shocked into oblivion when Akashi started to laugh. To be honest, he hadn't even thought the redhead was physically capable of laughing. And he had no idea what was so funny either.

But the first string newbie was interesting. Kuroko couldn't decide if he liked the personality of the blind boy. He wasn't mean, he supposed. Also, Shiroma had made Akashi laugh for no reason at all. It was one of the world's greatest achievements.

The blind boy stayed where he was as the third and second string people were dismissed. His head was tilted down, making his eye-patches look like he had dark hollows instead of eyes.

Kuroko went to help him.

As soon as Kuroko's hand made contact with the blind boy's arm, Shiroma jolted away from Kuroko.

"Don't touch me," he hissed.

Stepping slightly back, Kuroko gazed at Shiroma with worried eyes.

"I'm sorry. I did not mean to offend you in any way," Kuroko spoke politely.

After hearing his voice, Shiroma's tense shoulders loosened. "Oh. It's you. Hi, Kuroko-san."

"Just Kuroko is fine," Kuroko responded.

Shiroma gave a snort. "Yeah, well, I was just playing on the safe side. Akashi hounded me about honorifics a day ago, so I figured I didn't want to get scolded by anyone else. Oh wait, I mean, Akashi- _san_. Don't want to forget that."

Kuroko smiled softly. "Yes, well I thought you might need help, so I decided to ask you."

"What people need to know is that I'm blind, not deaf," Shiroma said, his unseeing eyes turning towards Kuroko's voice. "You don't have to touch me to get my attention."

Finding himself unconsciously nodding, Kuroko realized that what Shiroma said was true. So many people must treat him like he's helpless.

Suddenly, the gym doors opened. Haizaki came in, nonchalantly walking and yawning.

"Yo," he said in a bored tone.

Akashi's gaze was terrifying. "Haizaki. You are late again."

"Like I care," Haizaki snorted, lazily stretching out his limbs.

It was then that Kuroko noticed Shiroma's stance had stiffened. The blind boy's breathing was fast-paced and irregular; his ears were pricked attentively.

The phantom boy was about to reach out and gently touch Shiroma when he remembered their previous conversation.

"Shiroma-kun, are you all right?" he asked softly.

Shiroma's voice was brittle and slightly panicked, sounding as if he didn't have enough air to speak.

"I know him."


	7. AN: No Updates For A While

Hello!

So I just wanted to say that there will be no updates over Thanksgiving break (which runs from Nov. 23-Dec. 4 for me) on this story due to the fact that I have been typing my stories on a school-loaned computer and the school has decided to withdraw the students' computers over break to fix a problem in the system. Therefore, I have no computer to type on and can't add on more. I have some home computers that I could potentially use, but they are very slow and don't work well. I'm currently typing this note on my iPad and it's horrible having to type a lot on an iPad without a keyboard, so I doubt I will be able to write a whole chapter. I'll try to see if I can find a way to add on more, although updates will probably be slow either way because of all the holiday rush. The most likely possibility is that I will be unable to update at all for about two weeks, and I apologize.

Again, I'm super sorry that I can't bring more chapters into the story for a while. But have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

-somethingrandom1234


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The moment the stranger had walked in, making the doors burst open and slam shut, Jun knew that the person was familiar. The same scent of musky earth with an ill-matched tang of something sour; there was no such unique and memorable scent as that. The drawling voice, low and threatening, with a touch of neglectfulness that Jun couldn't help but despise.

It was utterly and unmistakably Haizaki Shogo.

Everything about him sent Jun whirling into a memory of the past.

* * *

 _~flashback~_

"Jun, this is Haizaki-san and his son, Shogo," Jun's mother, Shiroma Miyo, introduced him to the strangers. Seven-year-old Jun gripped his mother's hand, fearful of the newcomers. They smelled...intimidating.

He didn't like this already. His mother had told him that her and Haizaki-san had began dating. Jun wanted to scream. No. He at least knew what dating was, and could comprehend that this Haizaki-san could potentially become his father. And this man could not replace his father.

Why did his mother and father not talk anymore? Why did they live separately now? Why could Jun only see his father once a week? Miyo had tried her best to explain it to him, but even a year after their 'divorce,' as his mother called it, Jun couldn't understand why.

He didn't want anyone except his father to be with his mother. Was that too big of a wish?

"Miyo," a deep, male voice began. "Your child...what's wrong with his eyes?"

Jun sensed his mother falter slightly.

"He's blind. I thought I told you this already, Yuto," Miyo replied, fighting to keep her voice steady.

"I don't think you have-" the man was cut off by another voice, this time more high-pitched and childish.

"Ew. He's creepy! What kind of creature is he?"

Uneasiness coursed through Jun. Even though he was used to these kinds of comments, they still pained him and left a lingering ache in his heart. But this boy...he was different. The tone of his voice was teasing and edged with menace when it should have just been ignorant and innocent. Could this boy possibly be making these hurtful comments on purpose? He quickly shook the thought from his mind. No, that couldn't be the case.

Trying to act confident, Jun made a stab at a friendly greeting. "Hi. Is your name Shogo?" he asked the boy.

"Oh, so the alien talks," the boy observed mockingly in the same tone as from before. Jun winced.

Thankfully, Miyo decided to intervene. "Yuto, please refrain your son from making any more comments and let us settle down for tea. The kitchen is down the hall and to the right."

Haizaki-san agreed contentedly, the sound of his heavy footsteps and the lighter pattering of Shogo's feet heading to the kitchen fading as they got further away. As soon as the footsteps stopped, Miyo whispered into Jun's ear.

"I'm sorry about that boy, honey, but could you handle him for today? Maybe you can become friends!" Her voice sounded so pleading, so desperate that Jun found himself saying yes.

"Good boy," Miyo ruffled his hair before taking his hand again and walking him to the kitchen.

"Whew. The sun's bright. Could you shut the curtain?" Haizaki-san said as Miyo helped Jun into a chair. _It won't really matter to me, but sure,_ Jun thought.

"Of course," Miyo said generously, the squeak of the rod twisting to shut the curtains piercing the awkwardness of the room.

"You guys have a mini basketball court at the back of your house? Can I play on it? Do you have basketballs?" Shogo asked suddenly. He must have caught a glimpse of it as Jun's mother had shut the curtain.

Jun's mother let out a light laugh. "Oh yes, but we never use it. There are probably some basketballs just lying around. You can go out there if you'd like, Shogo-kun. Why not take Jun out with you and teach him some basketball? If that's okay with your father."

There was a pause. Jun froze at the offer his mother made. Out there? Alone with Shogo? That didn't sound too good.

"Sure," Shogo responded. Haizaki-san must have nodded his approval, because he didn't hear a word from the older male. Dread filled Jun. There was an underlying threat to Shogo's words that made Jun want to run and hide.

But Miyo nudged him out of his seat and lead him and Shogo to the backyard, where she found them a basketball.

"You boys have fun!" she said encouragingly. "I'll be going inside now. Call me if you need anything!" And then she walked away, Jun's heart sinking with each fading footstep.

 _Geez, thanks mom,_ Jun thought. _You just made my job of handling this boy a lot harder_.

"Do you play?" Shogo demanded roughly.

Jun gulped and shook his head adamantly.

A snort erupted from Shogo. "Thought so. Blind people can't play. Whatever. Be my opponent."

Dismay flooded Jun. He had no idea whatsoever how to play basketball. It was his first time attempting it.

The steady sound of the ball hitting the ground began to beat. It rapidly got faster. A speedy scuffle of feet headed towards Jun, the beating of the ball now a blur of sound in the background. Something whisked past him. Then all of the noise stopped to let a single sound ring out: a quiet whish echoing through the air. It was unfamiliar, but the beauty of it took Jun's breath away. The moment was short-lived though.

Shogo rounded up on Jun. "You didn't even move! I guess it's what you'd expect from a blind bat though," he said in a nasty voice. Jun opened his mouth to defend himself.

Then something hit Jun right in the stomach. It knocked the air out of him and made him crash onto his bottom. It took him a second to realize it had been Shogo who had hit him.

"Wha-" he began before another blow was landed on his back, making it arch painfully.

"Pathetic blindie. What do you have to do in life except sit around helplessly? You should just die," Shogo snarled. A fist caught Jun on the shoulder. He thudded to the ground.

"You'll never accomplish anything in life. Blindie," Shogo growled before letting out a harsh laugh.

With those words, Jun felt his morale shatter. Was he telling him that his dreams were pointless? That he couldn't do anything...because of one disability? How could a boy his age be so cruel?

Jun was quite sure that he was being abused with more blows, but he could barely feel them under the weight of Shogo's harsh words. Was it true? Was he really just...a blindie?

Suddenly, something deep inside of him kindled and surfaced. Anger. Pure anger directed solely towards Shogo. No. He wasn't useless. He could do things despite being blind. He could play basketball if he tried. Something foriegn took over Jun's body. All of a sudden, he felt as if he were in Shogo's body. He felt his fists moving through the air...but they weren't. He knew where he was going to hit next...but he didn't.

At first, Jun was at a complete loss as to what was happening. He could feel Shogo's leg come up to kick, fighting against air even thought it wasn't his body that was doing it. As soon as Shogo's foot connected with Jun hip, he felt himself in control of his own body again.

Anger surged through Jun. Half-conscious, he grabbed Shogo and thrust him hard down to the ground.

The back door burst open. "What is going on here?" Jun's mother yelled.

 _~flashback over~_

* * *

Jun could remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday. That had been the last time they had encountered Haizaki-san and Shogo. It had been the first time Jun actually experienced his mirror-touch synesthesia. And it wasn't the last. It had also been the first incident that caused Jun to visit a mental therapist because his mother thought something was wrong with him for getting into such a fight at his young age. Unfortunately, it wasn't the last time either.

If there was a good thing that came out of the incident, it was that it had gotten Jun into basketball. Yes, Haizaki Shogo had introduced Jun to basketball. And now this boy was right before him.

"Oh, look who it is? Why, it's _blindie_ ," Haizaki drawled out, finally seeming to notice him.

Fear seized Jun. The horrible nickname triggered his unrelenting anger, but he fought hard to not panic and release his fury.

"What is going on here?" Akashi demanded.

Haizaki put up his nonchalant act. "Nothing, nothing at all. Just surprised to see a good old friend here."

Something warm and heavy was suddenly burdened on Jun's shoulder. It took him a moment to realize it was Haizaki.

"Get off me!" Jun gasped, jabbing his elbow blindly in a wild attempt to knock Haizaki away from him.

"Haizaki, leave Shiroma alone. You are disturbing him and it appears that he does not wish to speak with you," Akashi reprimanded. For once, Jun was thankful for something that Akashi said.

The rest of practice was a blur. Akashi had him practice different dribbling patterns the entire time instead of shooting for some reason. But it was fine by Jun; the appearance of Haizaki Shogo had shocked him so much he couldn't concentrate on anything. Akashi must have realized this and stopped him from humiliating himself by blundering through everything, and Jun was thankful for that. Plus, Jun had many dribbling patterns memorized by touch, so it was a rather easy workout.

After the gym was cleaned up and most team members left, a hand grabbed Jun. He jerked back, assuming it was Haizaki trying to harass him, and struggled to free himself before Akashi's voice rang out.

"Shiroma, it's me. Would you like to walk home with us?" It was a polite, kind invite, but Jun felt as if there was a deeper reason behind it. Akashi placed his hand on Jun's back, slowly guiding him toward the door. Jun was about to protest when he felt Akashi tapping his finger against his back in such a subtle manner that it was unnoticable to outsiders.

He recognized this. It was Morse Code. For some reason, Okimoto-sensei had insisted that Jun learned Morse Code along with Braille. The real mystery was why Akashi knew that Jun was able to understand Morse Code.

Some of the taps were short and detached; others Akashi let his finger linger for a moment to signify a longer tap.

 **…**

 **. _**

 **_ . _ _**

 **_ . _ _**

 **.**

 **…**

 **….**

 **. _**

 **. .**

 **_ _ . .**

 **. _**

 **_ . _**

 **. .**

Jun decoded it as he tapped.

SAY YES HAIZAKI

For a moment, he was confused. And then the truth dawned upon him. No, Akashi didn't mistake his name. He meant that Haizaki was aiming to talk to him again, and even if he got out of the gym safely, Haizaki would probably be able to catch him on the streets if he was alone. So the message was basically: say yes, because if you go home without any company, Haizaki will catch you and talk to you.

"Sure. Who are the others walking home with us?" Jun asked casually, taking into context that Akashi had said "us."

"Kuroko, Aomine, Midorima, and Murasakibara," Akashi replied curtly.

"Great." Jun himself wasn't sure if he meant that to be sarcastic or not.

As they stepped out of the gym, Jun sensed new presences waiting outside, presumably the four people Akashi had just listed. He recognized the intimidating aura of Aomine, smelled all of the sweet snacks that Murasakibara always carried. He couldn't sense Kuroko as usual, and he had never met Midorima before.

"You're walking home today, Akashi-kun?" the monotone voice of Kuroko asked. Oh. There he was.

"Yes, I figured it would be good to walk home with the members of the team occasionally," Akashi responded.

"Is that Shiroma behind you?" the deeper voice of Aomine chided in. "Hey, I didn't get to say this before, but good game the other day."

Jun smiled slightly. "Thanks. You too."

"Let's get going already. I'm tired," Murasakibara said in his usual indifferent voice. "Shiro-chin, do you need help walking?"

Grimacing, Jun restrained his annoyance. "My legs are at least competent. And what's with the name?"

"I like it," Murasakibara said stubbornly, offering a short explanation.

A new voice spoke up. "I am afraid you haven't been introduced to me formally yet. I am Midorima Shintaro. Nice to meet you."

It was hard and austere. Jun remembered hearing the voice in the gym, advising him to do as Akashi suggested.

"Nice to meet you too."

The walk home was undisturbed, light bantering exchanged between some of the boys. Jun found that he quite enjoyed spending time with them. Although it sometimes took him extra effort to keep up with them and not bump into anything, it was overall very peaceful. They spoke of the most random things though.

"Ugh. But I hate drinking milk. Why do I have to?" Aomine complained.

"It's good for your bones and it will help you get stronger, that is why," Akashi replied.

"Aomine-kun hates milk? I unfriend you," Kuroko said in a serious tone.

"Tetsu, why?"

"Have you tried almond milk? It tastes so bad, you'll probably have a gag reflex," Jun chimed in, taking care to keep to the pathway made specially for blind people on the sidewalk.

"Eh~ I don't mind almond milk at all. I like all milk," Murasakibara protested weakly.

"But you're also the one who tried dried sour plum milk and enjoyed it, so I see your opinion as biased," Midorima shot back.

"Aren't opinions supposed to be biased though?" Jun commented.

"Yeah! How do you have an unbiased opinion?" Aomine challenged.

"It is one of the greatest mysteries of the world," Kuroko observed in his usual monotone voice. Jun still didn't know how Kuroko managed to say such sarcastic and mocking things without having attitude.

"You people should keep your mouths shut," Midorima said bitingly. The edge of Jun's mouth quirked up faintly. It's been a while since he'd talked so freely with others. And he was fully enjoying it.

* * *

Soon, all of the guys had gone their own separate ways home except Akashi and Jun.

"My house is at the turn of the next block," Jun informed Akashi, realizing after he said it that he must already know where his house was from he time when Jun passed out.

"I am aware of that," Akashi responded. "I am surprised you know your way around here so well."

Jun snorted. "Well, I've kind of lived around here my whole life, so I have most of the corners and streets and alleyways memorized." After walking a few more paces, he pulled up his metal stick and groped around to find a sign. The sound of metal hitting metal rang out. "Is this Katsuki Street?"

"Yes," Akashi said as they turned the corner. "Would you like me to walk you to your door?"

"Why are you pretending to be such a gentleman?" Jun asked mockingly. A pause hung in the air. "Okay, you can stop acting. You want me to spill about Haizaki, right?"

Jun could sense Akashi tense up. "Yes. I am rather surprised that you figured out what knowledge I wished to have."

"The blind see more than you think," Jun replied casually.

"Will you explain to me then?" Akashi questioned.

There was a moment of silence.

"No," was Jun's curt answer.

He braced himself for Akashi's protests but nothing came. Akashi remained silent. A moment of understanding passed between them.

"I understand," Akashi said quietly. "Good night, Shiroma. I will see you tomorrow."

"Bye." Jun waited until Akashi's footsteps faded away before feeling his way up the porch steps and rang the front doorbell. His mother quickly answered and lead him inside.

* * *

As Jun lay in bed that night, the sound of Akashi's words resonated in his head, repeating over and over again.

" _I understand."_

Were they just words of comfort? Or had Akashi really meant that he understood what Jun was feeling?

He wondered what Akashi had experienced to be able to understand the want to hide the past.

* * *

AN: Finally, a new chapter has come! I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you to everyone for waiting! I'm so sorry the update was super late. I recently got my computer back, so I was able to get down writing. I'm on Christmas break now, so I hope to update faster in the upcoming weeks. More chapters coming soon!


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **Jun's POV**

At practice the next day, Akashi confronted Jun.

"It is about time you figured out what your speciality is."

Jun was puzzled for a brief moment. "Speciality? Oh, you mean whatever in basketball I excel at."

"Exactly," Akashi always seemed to enunciate his words perfectly. "For example, Kuroko's speciality is using his lack of presence to pass. Midorima's speciality is his astonishing shooting accuracy. Aomine's speciality is formless shooting and his high level dribbles. Murasakibara's speciality is his incredible defense. What is yours?"

"What's yours?" Jun countered. He found himself to be slightly scared of what Akashi's speciality was.

"That is for me to know and you to find out," Akashi replied.

"I hate that saying," Jun grumbled. Akashi ignored him.

"We have to take into account all of your strengths and weakness to come out with a pure strength. So, what is your biggest weakness?"

"Seriously, you don't just randomly ask such deep questions in casual conversations." Jun felt the corners of his mouth quirking up.

Akashi remained serious. "Does this seem like a casual conversation to you?"

There was a pause. "Never mind, no conversations with you are casual."

"Do not avoid my question. What is your biggest weakness?"

"I think you're smart enough to answer that question yourself," Jun commented.

For a split second, Jun heard an annoyed huff break out of Akashi. But the captain composed his voice instantaneously.

"Fine. You are blind. That is your greatest weakness. Now, I believe that your weakness can also be put to your advantage if you use your strengths efficiently. List your strengths." The last sentence was an order, not a request. Moreover, an order from Akashi Seijuro. Jun decided that he very much valued his own life and that it might be better for him to obey.

"Let's see. I have mirror-touch synesthesia, which I'm guessing can be used as a strength even though-" Jun was interrupted by Akashi's voice cutting clean through his words.

"Mirror-touch synesthesia? You have not informed me of this condition."

Jun deflated slightly. Whoops. He had just assumed Akashi knew. "Oh...I thought you already knew. It's the reason I passed out a few days ago."

Akashi seemed suddenly cold. "I assumed you had something special, but I wasn't completely aware of what it was. Anyway, it should have been written on your medical forms. I am absolutely sure I went over each and every form, and I do not remember reading about this on yours."

"Geez, do you remember every single medical form you read?"

"You are missing the point. The point is that you withheld medical information that could be quite essential in serious emergencies. Now, explain," Akashi ordered.

And so Jun explained everything about it. How abnormal he was. How doctors couldn't explain it. It was surprisingly relieving to say it all out loud, to get it off his chest. Akashi listened without interrupting.

When Jun was done speaking, the captain gave him a small nudge and said, "It wasn't too bad to explain, right? You do not have to be so afraid." Jun could say that Akashi said it in a gentle voice, but that was like comparing broken glass to sandpaper. Yet, he sensed underlying kindness in his voice. For some reason, this made Jun choke up and almost let words of gratitude tumble out of his mouth.

Instead, he said, "Is that your way of trying to comfort me?"

"Take it for granted at your own risk." Akashi's tone abruptly turned cold again.

"Okay, I'll shut up now."

"Good. Now, what are your other strengths?"

Jun wiped the palms of his hands awkwardly against his shorts. "Um...I don't know."

Akashi cleared his throat. "I would say you are quite fast as well. Most blind people are cautious and move slowly to make sure they do not run into anything, but I would say you are recklessly quick."

"Thanks?" Jun said, his voice rising to a question. He didn't know whether it was supposed to be a compliment or not.

"Do not worry; it is a compliment, as far as compliments go," Akashi said, seeming to sense Jun's confusion.

"Oh. Thanks, then, I guess," Jun responded awkwardly.

"You're welcome," Akashi said with an indescribable tone to his voice. Jun could barely hold in his laughter. He would probably be killed for even thinking this, but Akashi Seijuro was just such a dork sometimes. "Now go figure out what your skill is."

It took a moment for Jun to process that statement. "Huh? What-? You're not going to help me?"

He swore he heard an internal sigh come from Akashi. "No. It is your speciality you are looking for. Come to me when you find it."

Jun's exasperated response was dampened by the clamorous stampede of basketballs hitting the ground in a dribbling warm-up exercise. "What? Come on! Actually, why even bother with the speciality? You're probably not going to put me in an actual game anyway."

At first, Akashi didn't say anything. Jun's ears were filled with the loud thrum of basketballs in the background. He was all of a sudden aware of how hot and humid the gym was, and wiped sweat off his brow. Akashi still remained silent. The air was heavy with anticipation. Scuffing his shoes on the floor, Jun impatiently crossed his arms. This was way too long of a dramatic pause.

It caught him off guard when Akashi began to speak. "Being put in a game gives a player a sense of pride. That is a given. It shows that you are respected for your skill and that you can contribute to the team. And being able to participate in a game may be one's greatest wishes. It could be all a person works for. A goal that must be achieved, or else one may feel as if they have failed."

The sound of basketballs smacking the floor faded away as Jun became immersed in Akashi's words.

"But that is not all there is. Being put in a game should not be the sole goal of an athlete. It does not matter if you take part in a game, it does not matter if you win if you are never able to get better, to become stronger. Accomplishment is great, but development is even greater."

"So think of it this way. You are a part of the Teiko Middle School boys' basketball team. And the reason you stand here is because you strive to get stronger. Finding out your speciality will help you surpass your current ability. Of course, everyone aims to win as well. This team aims to win. People evolves to win. But the team will destroy itself if the only goal is to earn victory. Everyone must develop as human beings and get stronger."

"All in all, I think you understand what I mean now. Maybe I won't put you in games. Maybe I will. Either way, the main goal is to build your skills and help you get stronger. This development will lead to who you will be in the future. That is all." The last sentence was said in a sense of finality, indicating that the discussion was over.

Jun was speechless. The right words couldn't make their way to his tongue. He stood there like an absolute idiot, mute and shocked, Akashi's lecture still running through his head.

A hand pushed him in a direction where he heard the first string members chatting. "Now go practice." It was an order from Akashi.

He finally found his voice, although it was considerably shaky. "Um...what…"

"Just do it," Akashi said with heavy force behind his words.

Inner soul sarcasm instinct to the rescue. "When did you become a walking Nike commercial?" Jun was secretly glad that his voice was steady and sounded perfectly snarky.

"Just go," Akashi rephrased his words without betraying irritation in his voice.

Jun made a stiff, over-exaggerated salute. "Roger that."

There was only one thought running through Jun's head, and it reflected on Akashi's talk.

 _Accomplishment is great, but development is even greater, huh? I think I can live with that._

* * *

 **Akashi's POV**

That night, Akashi decided that it was a good idea to look over medical forms again, especially because of the incident with Jun. He took a file out of a tall filing cabinet that was brimming with dividers and papers. Taking a seat in his swivel chair at his large wooden desk, he leafed through the medical forms in a neat manner, taking care not to fall victim to paper cuts.

Organizing papers by name, Akashi spread them out on the vast table surface, stacking forms that belonged to the same person in an individual pile. When all of the papers were finally displayed nicely on his desk, Akashi positioned himself in a somewhat casual pose that still managed to indicate superiority and power. He crossed his legs at the knees in an unconcerned manner and softly rested his chin on his hand that was propped up by a bent elbow, a pose that was not unsimilar to a typical thinking pose.

Akashi scanned over the medical forms, flipping through them and skimming the content of the pages. He didn't see anything that was a red alert until he came across a slightly bigger pile of papers. His eyes darted back and forth as he read at a rapid pace.

When he had gone through all of the pages, he lightly whacked the papers on his desk and put them down before leaning back in his chair. The information the forms contained had been quite something. Very essential knowledge.

Then a thought suddenly occurred to him. The name. How had he been so stupid to not check the name? Akashi bent forward a little to process the tiny letters at the top. His blood went cold.

There was a sharp knock on his door. "Come in," Akashi said in a calm voice that contrasted with the snake pit of shock and fear that crawled in his stomach.

A servant maid opened the door cautiously before bobbing into a low bow. "Your father wishes to see you, Seijuro-san. He is currently on the 2nd floor living room."

"Thank you. Please inform him that I will be there in a minute," Akashi said, dismissing the servant. The maid gave another quick bow and exited the room.

After the door closed with a click, Akashi let the icy shock seep into his body, giving his brain time to process to information. His fingers stroked the letters at the top of the form, as if needing concrete evidence that they were real and existed. The letters spelled out a name:

 _Shiroma Jun_

And in that moment, Akashi came to an abrupt decision. He would never be able to let Jun play in any official basketball games, let alone a practice match.

* * *

A/N: Just to clarify, in this time period, Akashi still does not have his Emperor Eye, and is just Akashi, not Emperor!Akashi. Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	10. Announcement!

Hello, this is somethingrandom1234.

I've decided to put this story on hiatus for a little bit. I don't know exactly how long the hiatus will last.

I know I haven't updated in about a month, and I apologize for that. I'm just having a long writer's block for it. I want to be able to write a good chapter (for once) as an update, and I don't think I'll be able to do that if I don't let my writer's block wear down.

Again, I'm sorry for making people wait for even longer. I promise I will update as soon as possible once my writer's block is gone.

Thank you!


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